“Come!” Jesus said.
And climbing out of he boat, Peter started walking on water and came toward Jesus. Matthew 14: 29 (HCSB)
I am a person who has spent most of my life being afraid. Afraid to try something new; afraid to take chances; afraid to fail; afraid to succeed; afraid to talk to people; afraid they won’t like me; afraid they will like me and I might have to talk to them…you get the picture.
In high school, I was so afraid that I might not get an A on a quiz that I hid under the stairs for an entire class period hoping the hall monitor wouldn’t find me. I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was 18 because I was too afraid to drive. I won’t pet horses because I am afraid of being bit. Lets just say, I am not a risk taker.
“Come!” Jesus said.
When Jesus instructed Peter to get out of the boat and walk on the water, Peter came! I don’t know about you, but I can’t swim and the idea of stepping out of that boat and onto the water is terrifying, even if Jesus is standing there with hands reached out.
Faith. It takes an incredible amount of faith to step out of that boat. Faith to believe that Jesus is not going to let you drown and all you have to do is obey His command. Where does faith like that come from? Certainly not from within us! No, that kind of faith is generated by God Himself. He plants the seed of faith, and with each act of obedience we water it and it grows a little more.
My family and I are on what we like to call a Hazzardous Adventure. Well, some of us. Chris and Alex, are busy with the Air Force and Sam is graduating high school in Minneapolis, but Charlie, Al, Jacob and I have been called somewhere new. See, Jesus told us to pack up our stuff and come. He called us to a faraway land. (Well, four hours away from the Twin Cities, where we have lived for our entire lives.) We bought a new home on 40 acres in “God’s country” northern Minnesota. He spoke into our lives about a ministry up in the north woods. A ministry for families. A ministry for couples. A ministry for people living with special needs and those caring for them. And here we are.
Well, here I am, with Al, my 20-year-old son with autism, while my husband, Sam and Jacob are back in the Twin Cities. Here I am blogging at 11:30pm instead of sleeping, even though tomorrow we SPRING AHEAD and I really should be sleeping.
Why? Because I am not afraid. I will say it again, I AM NOT AFRAID. You see, when Jesus saved me, I was set free from the bondage of sin and death, and that was so that I could walk in freedom. Freedom from the fear and anxiety that had crippled me my entire life. Free from the guilt and shame. Free from the lies that I tell myself and Satan whispers in my ear. I can choose to be afraid today, but that is my choice. Afraid is not who God created me to be.
So, I obey. I obey that still small voice that tells me to follow Him. To step out of the boat and live hazzardously. Let the adventure begin.